The casino group has agreed terms with the Commissioner of Taxation on how goods and services tax and withholding tax apply to those arrangements.
Between 2013 and 2020, Star Entertainment made payments to junket tour operators that attracted scrutiny from the tax authority, triggering a multi-year disagreement. The group had already handed over about $88 million to the Commissioner while the dispute played out.
Under the settlement, the Commissioner plans to refund roughly $33 million of that amount. Star Entertainment says it stopped working with junket tour operators in October 2020, cutting off the source of the contested payments.
The settlement means Star Entertainment expects to book a charge of about $55 million in its results for the year ending 30 June 2026. That figure reflects the net impact after the expected refund from the Commissioner is taken into account.
Regulators had already pushed casinos to move away from junket partnerships. Star’s decision in 2020 aligns with that broader shift away from opaque high-roller channels.
